ANKARA (AFP) — Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday underlined Britain's support for Turkey's troubled bid to join the European Union as she began a four-day state visit here, her first since 1971.
Speaking at a state banquet hosted by Turkish President Abdullah Gul in her honour, the 82-year-old monarch described Turkey as a "confident and dynamic democracy" and praised close ties between Ankara and London.
"For us, Turkey is as important now as it has ever been," the queen said.
She said Turkey, with its strategic location straddling Europe and Asia, would be an asset for the European Union and added that the accession process was in turn helping the Muslim majority country progress.
"Within this country, the prospect of accession to the European Union has already helped to inspire changes that are improving the lives of its citizens. "Abroad, Turkey is uniquely positioned as a bridge between East and West at a crucial time for the European Union and the world in general," she said.
Turkey began accession talks with the European Union in October 2005 amid widespread opposition in the European public opinion over whether a relatively large and predominantly Muslim country has a place in the bloc.
It has so far opened negotiations in only six of the 35 policy chapters candidates must complete while the EU froze eight chapters in 2006 in response to Ankara's refusal to grant trade privileges to Cyprus.
Britain is one of the main supporters of Turkey's drive to join the bloc, but EU heavyweights France and Germany are advocating a "special partnership" with Ankara rather than full membership.
Queen Elizabeth is accompanied by her husband Prince Philip on her trip to Turkey during which the royal couple will also visit the historic northwestern city of Bursa and Istanbul, Turkey's economic and cultural hub.
The first stop on the queen's programme was the mausoleum of modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, where she laid a wreath before she held talks with Gul.
"It is an honour to pay my respects to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a much beloved friend of the United Kingdom and one of the great figures of modern history," she wrote in the memorial book in the mausoleum.
On Wednesday, the royal couple will visit historic sites in Bursa -- the second capital of the Ottoman Empire, which preceded the Turkish republic.
On Thursday, they will fly to Istanbul where they will visit a school and the city's Museum of Modern Art before hosting a reception aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh leave Turkey on Friday.
The royal visit comes after her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, made a five-day cultural trip to Turkey last November.
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